1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to downloading of content over a computer network and, more particularly, to a system for selecting and downloading content according to the capabilities of a downloading device.
2. Description of the Related Art
The Internet is a world-wide collection of interlinked computer networks that is used to store and transfer documents and other electronic files on a global basis. In the early days of what is now known as the Internet, users ran a special program using a protocol called FTP (file transfer protocol) to access and transfer files. Efficient use of FTP programs required a level of technical skill beyond that of the general population, but early users were generally somewhat skilled. Furthermore, the types of files available over the Internet consisted largely of technical documents that were of little interest to the average person. Even if interesting content was available over the Internet, the general public did not have access to the computer hardware necessary to log on to the Internet. Consequently, the majority of Internet users were technical-savvy scientists who had access to Internet-capable computers and who were comfortable using protocols such as FTP.
The emergence of the World Wide Web (the “Web”) resulted in a dramatic increase in the general public's interest in the Internet. The Web is a collection of millions of linked documents that reside on computers throughout the world and that are accessible via the Internet. The documents are typically in the form of Web pages, which combine text, graphics, audio, and colors, thereby resulting in an attractive visual appearance and entertaining multimedia experience. Furthermore, unlike the early Internet documents that were navigated using FTP, Web pages are navigated by simply clicking on hyperlinks that are displayed on the user's computer screen in a robust program. The browser downloads Web pages, including all page elements, from a Web server to the user's computer. Moreover, Internet-capable hardware has decreased in cost and increased in availability, thereby increasing the general public's ability to access to the Internet.
The type of content and services that are available over the Internet has also grown. Internet users can now download Web pages that go beyond a simple combination of text and graphics. Modem Web pages can include animation, video, sound, and high-definition graphics. Users can use the Internet to download music files, video files, video games, and files in formats for various other applications. There are also various technologies now available to users for downloading content over the Internet, including video and audio streaming and push and pull technologies. Users are also accessing the Internet for various services, such as banking and shopping. The “old” Internet world where scientists used FTP to retrieve technical documents has now transformed into a “new” Internet world where millions of users access a myriad of content and services using any of a wide variety of transport technologies.
Adding to the diversity of Internet use are the wide differences in Internet-ready hardware. In the past, most users accessed the Internet using desktop and laptop computers. Users can now access the Internet using mobile phones, personal digital assistants, and Web appliances. It is envisioned that the type of devices used to access the Internet will expand to VCR's, automobiles, and even household appliances. Such Internet-capable devices have varying levels of hardware capabilities, such as storable memory space, processing speed, accessible memory, and graphics capabilities. The result is that Internet-ready devices are now as diverse as the users that access the Internet and the type of content that is available over the Internet.
The communication technologies that are used to gain access to the Internet also vary widely. In the past, most users accessed the Internet using a modem that interacted with the switched public telephone network (PSTN). Users can now access the Internet using high-speed broadband connections, such as cable television lines and digital subscriber lines (DSL), which provide higher bandwidth and increased access speed over traditional telephone-line modems. Wireless access is also growing in popularity and use. Consequently, the access speeds and bandwidth capabilities can vary widely for each Internet user.
The bottom line is that the Internet is filled with diversity, from the types of available content to the types of hardware and communication technologies that can be used to access the Internet. This makes it difficult for Internet content providers to tailor their content to the hardware and communications capabilities of Internet users. As a result, some Internet content providers only provide content that is directed toward the lowest common denominator so that virtually any Internet user can access the content. For example, a content provider could provide Web pages that do not require high-bandwidth connections or computers with advanced processors. However, such rudimentary content does not provide a satisfactory Web experience and can deter high-end users from accessing the site. On the other hand, some content providers offer only cutting-edge content, such as video and audio streaming that requires high bandwidth and fast processors. Unfortunately, such content providers could miss out on an entire segment of users that do not have such capabilities.
One solution to this problem is for a Web site to provide the ability to manually select the level of content and service that will be made available from the site. For example, if the user is downloading a movie trailer from a Web site, the site may provide a menu that allows the user to specify whether the computer has high-bandwidth or low bandwidth capabilities and thereafter choose the type of content to download. Other Web sites allow the user to choose between Web pages with animation or Web pages without animation. Unfortunately, this requires the user to have knowledge of the hardware and communication capabilities of the computer. This may deter inexperienced users or cause a user to select the wrong capabilities, which may result in a poor Internet experience for the user.
In light of the foregoing, it would be highly desirable for both Internet content providers and Internet users to have a way of optimizing Internet content and service levels to the user's hardware and communications capabilities without requiring user expertise or intervention. The present invention provides this capability.